Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-20
AUTHORIZATION.
Continued from Third Page.

the lie OF the Democratic party, has 1t
failed to interpose in behalf of the Citi-
lens the sternest resistance to all legis
lstion proposing to regulate his food,
apparel or drink. No platform Of the
Democratic party made in national con-
Ventlon can be found which does not
contain denunciatiOn of sumptuary legis-
lation. l have heard ProniOitiOnists deny
that the legislation proposed by them is
Sumptuary IN its character. Mr.. Bayard,
who ought to be good Democratic
authority, says IN mis- letter read by me
few minutes ago, that prOhlbitOTy legis-
latlon is sumptU6rv. The Prohibition
platform adopted st PiUtsbarg in 1884, in
national convention, distinctly charges
the Democratic par'y with opposition TO
prohibition as sumptuary, and denOunceS
the Democracy fOr it. II mas been said
by distinguished gentleman, addressing
the people Of this city in behalf Of pre-
hibition few days ago, that because the
constitution of Texas, framed and
adopted by Democrats, authorized this
election, that prohibition is q Democratic
measure. 1t is hardly necessary to say in
reply TO this that the principles a8C
policies OF the Democratic party are
formulated and expressed in nation
gates from the thiTty-elght states Of the
Union meet for the purpose, and nowhere
else--that prohibition ana all other
sumptuary legislation is and has always
been, opposed by the Democracy. | Re
peat as Is shown in every platform Of the
Democracy adopted IN national Conven-
ton, that the party has always stood like
a stone wall between tie liberties OF the
people and the entertainments OF this
character of legislation. TIE antagCnlsm
between the principles OF the Democratic
party and those of the Prohi 5itiCn party
is direct, absolute, certain ant irrecOn-
cilable. l call on my Democratic trends
who have favored prohibition to review
the ground they OcCupy-I know they in
tend to be right, and believe they will
put themselves right.
This prohibition heresy is alien to our
soil and our people. 1t does not suit this
latitude. Our people have always been
conservative and Democratic, have always
Clung with affectiOnate tenaCity to personal
liberty and the principles Of their fathers,
have opposed innovations upon eStab
NShed and cOnseCTRted customs and
habits. Our northern Democratic
brethren have resisted every step OF
the advance of this innovation, have
fought it from its birth to the present
time. We are indebted, more taan TO
any other one cause, for Democratic
administration to-day, to the steady, IN
ceasiDg and determined resistance Of the
northern Democracy to prohibition and
its invasion OF personal liberty.
The Republican party which has used
prohibition for all it was worth know
this, and has unloaded and repudiated it.
1t is new thing in the sOutn-th.s old,
cast-off Republican garment. Fought by
the Democracy and thrown away by the
Republicans Of the north after getting all
out of it shat was in it, prohibition Is
here in Texas row falsely claiming to be
Democratic, and this in the face Of the
fact that it IS q regularly organized pO-
iitical party, hostile il every pIiCCiDie
and utteTanCe to the Democracy. With
prohibition and female suffrage blazUueG
on its banner, the Prohibition party went
into the last presidential contest. From
the headquarters Of that party IS being
shOwered upon Texas all sorts Of pam
phlets and documents and political
tracts, confined discreetly 20 the whisky
questiOng, nothing being said about
female suffrage. That subject is held ia
the background at this time for pru-
Dental reasons. But let success in pro
hibiti0n crown their efforts and the next
step I'M the programme Of the national
9sdIfs viii hc!O press female suffrage,
for the party IS as fully committed to inst
as 1t is to prohibition. They hope, when
our people are warmed up on prohibition,
that they will also swallow female sui
frage. The people should understand
this programme. When they understand
it, have no fears for the result. But the
time is short, indeed, utterly insufficient
for full discussion. More time should
have been given. 1t is unjust TO the
people to force a vote on this question
with such lightning speed, but
we can not help this now. We
must do our best to present
stood, to show the aims and purposes Of
the movement. Our Democratic friends
should be especially active, because the
success of prohibition means war upon
the Democracy. The day after this cleo
ton was ordered, when a grand demon
stTetion was made at the courthouse by
the PrOnibitiOnists, it was reported by
our daily papers that distinguished and
churches (Dr. CARROLL made an eloquent
port of prohibition. colored minister,
Mr.. JordOn, believe, was also reported
to have made some remarks in advocacy
of the object of the meeting, and among
other things to have saidj that he
WAS willing to "break down both
political parties, if necessary, 10
carry prohibition" l advert to these
facts because thry seem to indicate that
the power of the church is TO be thrown
into the political arena and mSde to do
battle in behalf of prohibition. II this be
true, desire, as q citizen of Texas, as an
American citizen, to enter my solemn
protest against it. 1t is 8 departure,
happily rare in the south, which BODIES 10
good 10 either church or state, religion
or society. Turn 10 the histories you
read when school boys, and you will see
that the blOOdiest and most destructive
wars that ever scOurged humanity and
devastated this planet, owed their
origin to contests over questions
of religion when church and state
were united. You will see that from
the same cause sprung the perse-
Cutiors and the m8rtyrdOms and mgsSa-
GERS which make this record the blood
est psge of human history There is GOt
8 religious sect, there is not O church, !
thst has not its legends of martyrs who
have perished on the scafOlG, been
burned at the stake, and rotted in dun
geOnS, and writhed under torture for
their faith. There is not q church in the
world whose deV0teeS will rot tell you |
that ''the blood of our martyrs is the seed |
OF our church." All this came from 4
union of church and state, from iuterfer /
ence by the church IN affairs If state. !
To more than any other one cause,